WAFarmers has welcomed the Minister for Agriculture’s confirmation in Parliament that Western Australia will mandate the use of pain relief for mulesing under the nationally agreed Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for sheep, noting the move is squarely in line with existing WAFarmers policy.
WAFarmers Livestock Council supports that effective pain relief should be mandatory for mulesing and has consistently supported continued research into practical alternatives to surgical mulesing.
Geoff Pearson, President of the WAFarmers Livestock Council, said the Minister’s confirmation to Parliament largely formalises what good producers are already doing.
“The community quite rightly expects high standards of animal welfare, and WA sheep producers share those values. The reality is that the vast majority of WA woolgrowers have been using pain relief for many years. The government’s decision essentially brings the law into line with best practice on farms, and with WAFarmers’ policy position.”
Parliament was recently told that about 90 per cent of mulesed Merino lambs in WA already receive pain relief, and that DPIRD recommends a multimodal approach – combining a local anaesthetic with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory – as best practice for reducing pain associated with the procedure.
Mr Pearson said it was important that the debate recognises why mulesing and pain relief remain on the table – namely, the seriousness of flystrike.
“Flystrike is not an abstract welfare concept; it is one of the most distressing, painful and deadly conditions sheep can face. Producers see that first-hand. Nationally, flystrike is estimated to cost the industry hundreds of millions of dollars each year and, more importantly, causes severe suffering and death if not controlled.
DPIRD and national research bodies have long described flystrike as a major ongoing health and welfare risk in all Australian sheep regions, with breech strike the most common form. It was this problem that led to the development of the mulesing procedure in the late 1920s, which early government and industry work found to be highly effective in reducing breech strike and improving lifetime welfare when combined with good management.
Modern veterinary and animal science research has focused heavily on minimising the pain associated with the procedure. Studies co-funded by Australian Wool Innovation and others have shown that using combinations of topical local anaesthetic products (such as Tri-Solfen®) and systemic analgesics provides significantly better and longer-lasting pain relief than using a single product alone. National surveys have also found that concern for sheep welfare has driven near-universal adoption of pain relief at mulesing in many regions.
There is a tendency in some parts of the debate to talk about mulesing in isolation, as if the only animal welfare issue is the procedure itself. That ignores the simple fact that uncontrolled flystrike is a far worse welfare outcome. For many high-risk areas, mulesing – done early, properly, and with effective pain relief – remains one of the most powerful tools we have to prevent prolonged suffering.”
Mr Pearson said this broader context is often missing from public and political commentary.
“Mandating pain relief helps ensure the industry presents a united front on animal welfare while we continue to invest in genetics, management and chemical strategies that will, over time, reduce reliance on surgical mulesing. WAFarmers strongly supports that transition, but it has to be practical and grounded in the biology of sheep and the fly, not just in slogans.”
Mr Pearson said WAFarmers’ position is straightforward: sheep welfare must come first, but that means dealing honestly with flystrike risk as well as with public expectations.
“WA producers have already led the way on the uptake of pain relief. The government’s move to embed this in regulation is a logical next step and will help maintain social licence while the industry continues the hard, long-term work of breeding, management and innovation needed to tackle flystrike at its source.”
